by Kathy Collins | Sep 1, 2017 | Main |
Sometimes I contemplate this question and the answer usually comes down to edges. Lost (or soft) edges are the hallmark of a loosely rendered work. When I did this painting of a Northwest beach I was trying to approximate the feeling of walking on a misty...
by Kathy Collins | Jul 17, 2017 | Main |
Grieving a recent loss I visited a quiet place away from my routine, but familiar enough to be comfortable. On Decatur Island in the San Juans I would be with family and still take some peaceful walks, sketchbook in hand. On one of these excursions I climbed up a hill...
by Kathy Collins | May 16, 2017 | Main |
For months watercolor sticks were sitting around in my studio yet I never used them. Then one day a few weeks ago I picked them up for no particular reason and started drawing. The sticks applied smoothly to the watercolor paper, like crayons, and felt good in my...
by Kathy Collins | Apr 4, 2017 | Main |
The first and most important step in painting is to begin with good shapes. But what does that exactly mean? Renowned painter Tony Couch has described artists as shape-makers He points out that every good shape has two different dimensions (ie not square or circular),...
by Kathy Collins | Mar 25, 2017 | Main |
While painting from a photo of a fairly typical barn, I wanted to make the composition a bit more interesting. But how to do that? Well, there are a few tweaks to the photograph that may help. For one, start by simplifying the scene. As with most farms there was a lot...
by Kathy Collins | Feb 18, 2017 | Main |
The other day while thinking about what constitutes success in the art world, I noticed an article about a gallery in London called “The Sunday Painter.” Intrigued, I read more and concluded that this term, which has always been a pejorative, may...
